When I think about this game?
When I think about how much this game, this moment in time means to me?

I don’t think about the game.
I think about the people I share it with.

And if that means the unthinkable going forward? That a donkeys fan(s) is in our midst? That we accept the enemy into our group as
anything BUT the enemy?

(wait for it …)

“Springsteen”.

(yes, the awful, offkey male is me. DEAL WITH IT! if you'd been there for this concert, you'd have the same one word reaction i have. (wait for it ...) springsteen. having said that ...)

(yeah, no CLUE how I’m topping THIS tomorrow … but tune in to find
out … (quaqmire voice) giggity giggity ... giggity goo.)

-----------------------------

Last night, I started to look at just how wretchedly awful the AFC
is, and what the contenders (all 13 of them!!!
OK, ok, Cleveland
is barely hanging on ...) have left. And
man, is it ugly for just about all of them.

Still, barring an outbreak of ties that would make the 1990s NHL
jealous, someone has to win these games.
Someone has to make the playoffs.
Someone has to be offered up as the sacrificial lamb to whoever emerges from
the NFC*. So let's take a gander at how
I see the AFC standing come late January.

(*: of course, any team can win, on any given Sunday. But having said that, the ONLY AFC team I'd
even contemplate taking against a NFC squad on the neutral Lucas Oil Field
right now is Baltimore, and possibly Houston if someone other than Green Bay wins the NFC.)

AFC East:

Current Situation: a three team tie at 5-3. Each contender is currently 1-1 against the
other. Each still has one game left
against the other two, starting this Sunday night at the Fake Meadowlands, when
the Patriots and Jets square off.

In the Division's Favor: all three teams appear to be solidly
constructed teams capable of winning on any given Sunday.

Against the Division's Favor: the Pats and Jets still have roadies
to Philly coming up. The Bills still
have a roadie to Dallas
(this week). The Jets and Giants square
off on Christmas Eve.

Wildcard Factor: the division might come down to whether the Pats
and Jets can handle the Redskins in Washington
in mid-December. The Bills already took
care of business against the Skins (and the Eagles). Pats and Jets have to split their NFC East
roadies to get the upper hand over Buffalo.

Stevo's Pick to Win the Division: the New York Jets, at 10-6. Their four toughest games left are all at
home (albeit a split crowd for the Giants).
If they can take 3 of 4 (with one being New England),
and beat Miami
and Washington on the road, they should survive on tiebreakers.

Stevo's Pick to Just Miss the Playoffs: the New
England Patriots, at 10-6.
That loss at Pittsburgh
will prove fatal.

Stevo's Pick to Collapse: the Buffalo Bills. They have to win one of the four tough
roadies (at Patriots, at Jets, at Chargers, at Cowboys) just to get to ten
wins. And that presumes they take care
of business against Miami, Tennessee, and a surging broncos team. Smells like a 5-2 fade to 8-8 to me.

AFC North:

Current Situation: even though the Bengals technically are in
first place, the Ravens hold the upper hand, in that they've already swept the
Steelers, and still have two left against the Bengals, including in Cincy to
close the regular season. The Steelers
are essentially playing for a wildcard berth, and the Browns are hanging on by
the barest of margins.

In the Division's Favor: they play the NFC West and AFC South, the
two worst divisions top to bottom in the NFL.

Against the Division's Favor: Houston and San Francisco are both
rock solid teams that will give the North contenders fits down the stretch,
starting Thanksgiving Night in the Harbaugh Bowl.

Wildcard Factor: the Sunday nighters on the road against the AFC
West might determine the division. Pittsburgh is at Kansas City
in three weeks; Baltimore is at San Diego in six weeks. I

Stevo's Pick to Win the Division: the Baltimore Ravens at 12-4. They're by far and away the class of the AFC
at this point, and nobody else is even close.

Stevo's Pick to Make the Playoffs: the Cincinnati Bengals at 11-5. Split with Baltimore
and Pittsburgh,
and every other game is extremely winnable.

Stevo's Pick to Make the Playoffs II: the Pittsburgh Steelers at 10-6. Solely and completely because they held on at
home against the Patriots two weeks ago.
Sometimes, one game in November makes all the difference in the world. (And man, will it this year ...)

Stevo's Pick to Collapse: the Cleveland Browns. They're done.
I know their next two are at home against the Rams and Jags. I don't care.
They're done.

AFC South:

Current Situation: if the Houston Texans don't have this division
clinched by December 11th, Gary Kubiak should be fired on the spot. They're essentially 2 1/2 up with 7 to
go. Even the Chiefs held on in that spot
last year.

In the Division's Favor: nothing.
They play the AFC North and NFC South, two divisions loaded with seven
current playoff contenders (six if you dismiss Cleveland), and a "capable of beating
anyone" Cam Newton led Panthers team.

Against the Division's Favor: everything. The Titans haven't won in a month, the Colts
haven't won in a year, and the Jaguars have embraced the youth movement (as
well they should). Again, if the Houston
Texans have not clinched first place by December 11th, and a bye by December
19th, Gary Kubiak should be fired on the spot.

Stevo's Pick to Win the Division: the Houston Texans, at 11-5. I project a shocking upset loss at Jacksonville keeps the
Texans from getting the one seed (they hold tiebreaker over the Ravens due to
head-to-head victory). Because if anyone
can piss away home field advantage to a team that hasn't played a meaningful
game since 2007, its the Gary
Kubiak led Houston Texans.

Stevo's Pick to Collapse: every other team in the division. The Titans have lost three straight, the
Colts haven't won since the calendar turned, and while I think the Jags have
two massive upsets left in them, one of which will destroy the hopes of an AFC
West team, they won't do better than 7-9 at best.

AFC West:

Current Situation: for the first time in NFL history, a three way
tie for first exists at 4-4 ... and denver
is surging fast at 3-5. The Chiefs
currently have the upper hand because ... well, only God knows why, but
somehow, a team with the third worst point differential in the league would
HOST the Ravens if the playoffs started today.
AFC FEVER BABY!!!

In the Division's Favor: in the words of Sunny Ledfurd, "not
a god d*mned thing". All four teams
have a brutal late November / early December coming up, starting this week,
with all divisional games that see rematches to end the season.

Against the Division's Favor: They face the NFC North and AFC
East. To say nothing of beating each
other senseless inside the division (everyone still has three divisional games
left).

Stevo's Pick to Win the Division: the Kansas City Chiefs, at 9-7. What, you'd expect anything else? I honestly think this division hinges on five
outcomes, and my predicted outcome to each:

1. denver at Kansas
City, week 11: this is denver's
season, for all intents and purposes.
They lose this one, they cannot finish better than 3-3 in the division
(and they'd likely have to run the table to close at 10-6 to have any
postseason shot. With a trip to Lambeau,
a visit from the Patriots, and a trip to the Q still to come, good luck with
that.) For the Chiefs though, this one
is almost as important, because they need to keep pace with the Chargers in the
divisional column (Chiefs have tiebreaker, temporarily, due to conference
schedule, provided they keep pace with the Norv's in the divisional
column.) Let's just say, this "Day
I Live For" is bigger than most in recent years.

2. San Diego at Chicago,
week 12 / Kansas City at Chicago, week 14. Both teams will be underdogs, but both are
more than capable of winning this game.
The teams are so close that if Chicago
were hitting the road? You'd probably
make both KC and San Diego
slight favorites, and lay the points.
I'm glad San Diego
goes first -- it lets us know what we have to do. I'm guessing we will have a GOLDEN
opportunity in three weeks to gain a game on San Diego.

3. San Diego at oakland, week 17. This week's game really is meaningless,
because both teams have already beaten the Chiefs once, and have already won in
denver. The finale though? Could be for all the marbles. Would not surprise me at all if this winds up
your week seventeen flexer.

4. Pittsburgh at Kansas
City week 13 / Baltimore at San Diego week 15. Once again, both favorites face the same
exact position, two weeks apart -- Sunday nighters against the powerhouse teams
of the AFC Central. Gun to my head? Both teams spring the upset -- the Chiefs
usually play the Steelers tough, the Chargers season is likely on the
line. But I wouldn't bet the family farm
on those outcomes.

But the reason I think the Chiefs steal the division at 9-7 on
tiebreakers with the Chargers? The game
I've had circled for two months as the decider:

5. San Diego at Jacksonville, week 14. Why, I can hear you asking, does THIS game
matter? Ask the Ravens what playing at
Alltel in prime time is like. The
Jaguars demolished them on Monday night three weeks ago, and right now, as
noted yesterday, the Ravens are the only AFC team I'd give a snowballs chance
in you-know-where of staying within three of Green Bay or San Fran. This is the upset that springs the Chiefs to
the tiebreaker -- both KC and San Diego will
finish 9-7, both will finish 5-1 in the division ... but KC gets to 8-4 in the
conference, while San Diego
finishes 7-5. Sorry Norv. Enjoy unemployment.

Stevo's Pick to Collapse: nobody.
If anyone will, its oakland
... but I honestly think all four teams will finish in the 9-7 to 7-9
range. And I think we're looking at all
four teams being packed together for a few seasons to come. Just like the AFC West used to be.

So ...

Final Predicted AFC Field (and initial projections based on
predicted AFC Field):

1. Baltimore
Ravens 12-4.

2. Houston
Texans 11-5.

3. New York
Jets 10-6.

4. Kansas City
Chiefs 9-7.

5. Cincinnati
Bengals 11-5.

6. Pittsburgh
Steelers 10-6.

AFC Postseason:

6 Steelers 28, at 3 Jets 10.
We've seen this scenario before ... Pittsburgh sneaks in on final day of the
season, faces shakily quarterbacked team in divisional round ...

at 3 Chiefs 20, Bengals 13.
The best possible matchup for KC to draw. Seriously.
Arrowhead will RATTLE Andy Dalton.

6 Steelers 17, at 1 Ravens 10.
We've seen this scenario before ... the last three years and counting in
fact. Steelers and Ravens in the
playoffs. Steelers move to 3-0 against
these guys when it counts.

3 Chiefs 28, at 2 Texans 20.
Let me put it this way -- winnable road game, against shaky coaching,
shaky quarterback play, and if you don't get why I predicted a Chiefs team to
win in Houston in January 28-20, well, Google search January 16, 1994. Let's just say, shakier Chiefs teams than
this one have stunned the world down there when it counts.

Setting up:

6 Steelers at 3 Chiefs, AFC Championship, 2:30pm CT Sunday January
22, 2012. Re-read every scenario just
laid out above. Re-run the
schedules. For those of you who think
one ridiculous defeat in November to an awful Dolphins team (that I take FULL
and COMPLETE blame for*) roo-eens the season?
Re-read every scenario just laid out above. Re-run the schedules.

(*: The first three weeks of the season, I wore (in order) my
Jamaal Charles Pro Bowl t-shirt (L vs Bills), my long-sleeved yellow Chiefs
t-shirt (L at Lions), and my Puma Chiefs sweatshirt (now in it's 14th year of
usage!) that saw the Chiefs lose late at San
Diego. For the
Vikings game? I changed to my grey
Chiefs t-shirt I had never worn for a game before. The Chiefs won. I wore it again for Indy. The Chiefs won. Again for oakland, again for victory. Then the ultimate gamble -- the Monday
nighter against San Diego. Believing in the "Power of the
Grey", I absolutely wore it ... but because the game was at night, I had a
dilemma: risk mixing it with proven "lovable loser" Puma Chiefs
sweatshirt ... or break in the DT hoodie my mommy bought me a few weeks
ago? I broke in the DT hoodie ... and
believe me, with :54 to go in that game, NOBODY blamed themselves more for the
inevitable defeat to come, than me.
NOBODY. Then ... FUMBLE! RECOVERY!
And finally, VICTORY!

I left the hotel for the airport at 6:50am Sunday morning ... in
my yellow Chiefs t-shirt. I'd forgotten
to pack the "Power of the Grey".
Chiefs fans, it is my fault, and my fault alone, that we lost that
game. I PROMISE you, come high noon on
Sunday, I will be in the "Power of the Grey" ... and the DT hoodie if
it's a little bit Nipsey Russell at kickoff.)

coming this week ...

About Me

(gavin degraw voice) I don't wanna be anything other than me ...
Well, I'm a Chiefs addict. Section 132 and 339 represent! I love the NBA (Go Bucks Go!) as well. I mostly lean left on social issues; I mostly lean right on economic issues; and I'm firmly in the center on matters of foreign policy. I'm 40, single, straight, white, male, Abercrombie's summer catalog's next centerfold, and somewhat insane. Other than that, I'm every girl's dream.